A RT T HERAPY By Savanna Uranga Arizona State University FALL 2014

A RT T HERAPY ’ S M ISSION S TATEMENT To protect the public by promoting the competent and the ethical practice of art therapy through the credentialing of art therapy professionals Reference: “Art Therapy Credentials Board, Inc.” 2

W HAT IS ART T HERAPY 3

W HAT IS ART THERAPYCONTINUED Art Therapy is when clients, with the aid of a trained facilitator, use “the media, the creative process, and the resulting artwork to explore their feelings, reconcile emotional conflicts, foster self-awareness, manage behavior and addictions, develop social skills, improve reality orientation, reduce anxiety, and increase self-esteem” (Malchiodi). Art Therapy is to aid a client in their well-being, through the art of drawing, painting, molding, etc. Art Therapy is used in a variety of ways in a variety of different settings. Whether it comes to children or adults, hospitals or private sessions, art therapy is aiding those who are in crisis through self-expression. 4

W HO BENEFITS FROM ART THERAPY Art Therapy benefits those who are experiencing trauma, crisis or impairments. 5

LINKS American Art Therapy Association What is Art Therapy? What Does an Art Therapist Do? therapy/ -.VAonHUtTykY Defining Art Therapy in the 21 st Centuryhttp:// healing-arts/201304/defining-art-therapy-in-the- 21st-century 6

RESEARCH Adrian Hill, who coined the term Art Therapy after discovering the benefits that drawing and painting can have an on individual, introduced Art therapy in the mid-20th century. Art Therapy was introduced as a non-clinical setting. Licensed therapists were to work with individuals of all ages with a variety of mental disorders and diseases in areas that allowed patients to feel comfortable. Through the sessions, therapists were able to encode what type of trauma the creator of each image was experiencing. The creator was able to “let the therapist in” by their choice of colors, shapes, adding or missing details of an image, etc. By viewing what utensils the creator chose to use for their creation, therapists were able to counsel clients. 7

R ESEARCH CONTINUED Art therapy has a specific purpose: to heal. What we have found by using art therapy is that through the use of non-communication, we are able to retrieve more information from a client and allow them to speak when they are ready. By allowing the client to draw, paint, sculpt or mold their emotions it gives the therapist the true vision that the creator sees, most the time the creation has no holds on emotion. After, we will undergo the specific process of how therapists make their clients feel safe and comfortable, how they are able to identify any discrepancies in their creations, and how art therapists counsel their clients after learning of these discrepancies. 8

W ORKS CITED "American Art Therapy Association." American Art Therapy Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Sept Malchiodi, Cathy. "Defining Art Therapy in the 21st Century." Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness + Find a Therapist. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Sept "What Is Art Therapy? | What Does an Art Therapist Do?" Art Therapy. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Sept

T HANK YOU For more information please contact me at: 10